The 2011 historic motor racing season came to an end at the Algarve Historic Festival at the impressive Portoma0 circuit in the South West of the country. As usual Francisco Santos had a entry of over 300 cars – more than last year despite the economic climate.

During the season Ecurie Ecosse drivers Alasdair McCaig and Andrew Smith have been racing a variety of cars with Alasdair completing a successful first season driving a low-line Cooper T53.

Alasdair McCaig on his way to winning the pre-1966 Formula 1 race in his Cooper T53 low-line

In addition there were a number of ex-Ecurie Ecosse cars at the race meeting. One that had problems in testing and did not start was Dick Skipworth’s Cooper-Monaco originally raced by Tommy Dickson and Jackie Stewart. However Frenchman Eric Mesdagh turned up with the Tojeiro-Jaguar built for Ecurie Ecosse and first raced at Snetterton in 1959 by Jock Lawrence. It was later raced by Ivor Bueb in the support race to the British Grand Prix – a race, incidentally, where Innes Ireland had his first race for Ecurie Ecosse driving a Jaguar D-type.

Gary Pearson driving the ex-Ecurie Ecosse 1958 Lister-Jaguar.

Another ex-Ecosse car was the Lister Jaguar Knobbly raced by Alex Buncome and Gary Pearson. This was chassis BHL104, the first Lister ordered by Ecurie Ecosse. It had its first race at Aintree in April 1958 driven by Masten Gregory into third place at Aintree. Masten won two more races in the car before crashing heavily at Silverstone. Parts of this car were used in the second Lister ordered by Ecosse but the car today has been rebuilt with most of the original parts. Pearson and Buncome ran out winners of the Stirling Moss Trophy race with this car. Alasdair McCaig and Tony Wood ran in the same race with the Wood family Lister-Jaguar and finished 5th. The Eric Mestagh/Pierre Alain Thibault Tojeiro was 13th.

Hugh McCaig and son Alasdair in front of the stricken Ex-Ecosse Cooper Monaco.

Alasdair McCaig ran out the winner of the HGPCA Pre-1966 Formula 1 first heat and was leading the second heat before a broken half shaft put him out. Andrew Smith finished 6th in his earlier Cooper T43.

Barry Wood and his son Tony shared the ex-Ecurie Ecosse Cooper Bristol with Tony taking a convincing second place in the Pre 1961 grand prix race behind Eddie McGuire’s Lotus 16 and ahead of Will Nuthall’s ex-Bob Gerard Cooper-Bristol.

Tony Wood in the Ecosse Cooper-Bristol holding off Will Nuthall in the ex-Bob Gerard Cooper-Bristol

With the season finished Alasdair McCaig is hoping to continue in historic racing next season.